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DoD/News
GAO: US Biodefense Enterprise Needs Central Leadership, Oversight
by Ramona Adams
Published on April 15, 2016
GAO: US Biodefense Enterprise Needs Central Leadership, Oversight


biohazardThe Government Accountability Office has said in a new report to the Senate Homeland Security Committee that the U.S. biodefense enterprise needs an established leadership strategy.

GAO said in the report published Thursday it found that there is no unifying biodefense leadership and oversight structure to facilitate accountability and operational efficiency.

The agency said past reports from GAO and other review bodies called for the establishment of a focal point for government biodefense coordination and the formation of a national strategy that will work to identify and address risks systematically.

Biosurveillance efforts also need a national strategy as GAO previously recommended a central leadership and action to address various challenges, GAO noted.

GAO further said increased threats of disease outbreak and acts of bioterrorism, such as anthrax attacks, reflect a need for early detection and warning through biosurveillance systems.

Government Technology/News
NASA to Hold 2016 Rocket, Robotics Challenges at Marshall Center
by Scott Nicholas
Published on April 15, 2016
NASA to Hold 2016 Rocket, Robotics Challenges at Marshall Center


rocket-launchNASA will host the 2016 edition of the Student Launch competition alongside the Mars Ascent Vehicle Challenge at the space agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center on April 16.

The event will gather 50 teams from 22 states that will display rocket launch technology and robotic ground support systems, the space agency said Friday.

The top three teams in the MAV Challenge will win $50,000 from NASA, while a $5,000 prize from corporate sponsor Orbital ATK will be given to the highest-ranking team under the Student Launch segment.

Student Launch participants will aim to launch their rockets to reach an altitude of up to 5,280 feet above sea level at the Bragg Farms in Alabama, NASA said.

Participants in the MAV Challenge, which the Centennial Challenges program sponsors, will demonstrate an autonomous robotic system that will work to retrieve and store a mock sample from Mars into a rocket.

NASA added that an open house event called Rocket Fair will also commence to give teams an opportunity to deliver technical presentations on developed rocket and autonomous systems and receive feedback from NASA and Orbital ATK’s team of rocket scientists and engineers.

DoD/News
Navy to Deploy Raytheon Precision-Guided Missiles for Anti-Islamic State Campaign
by Ramona Adams
Published on April 15, 2016
Navy to Deploy Raytheon Precision-Guided Missiles for Anti-Islamic State Campaign


MissileDefenseThe U.S. Navy is acquiring 566 AGM-65E2/L Maverick laser-guided weapon systems from Raytheon to support counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State group, Scout Warrior reported Thursday.

Kris Osborn writes the Navy will deploy the Maverick air-to-ground missile systems for the Operation Inherent Resolve campaign against the militant group.

The AGM-65E2/L‘s precision technology is intended to aid in coalition air bombing efforts as military officials believe IS fighters have blended in with civilians, Osborn wrote.

Raytheon was awarded a potential $54.9 million Navy contract in October 2014 to deliver updated Maverick missiles that are designed to engage fast-moving targets, minimize collateral damage and support deployment from A-10, F/A-18, AV-8 and F-16 aircraft platforms.

DoD/News
James Syring: Foreign Missile Threats Prompt MDA to Invest in Advanced Tech R&D Programs
by Mary-Louise Hoffman
Published on April 15, 2016
James Syring: Foreign Missile Threats Prompt MDA to Invest in Advanced Tech R&D Programs


James Syring
James Syring

Vice Adm. James Syring, director of the Missile Defense Agency, has said MDA aims to build advanced technology against ballistic missile threats from nations such as North Korea and Iran, DoD News reported Thursday.

Cheryl Pellerin writes Syring mentioned the agency’s technology research and development programs when he testified on its $7.5 billion fiscal 2017 budget proposal before the Senate Armed Services Committee’s strategic forces subcommittee Wednesday.

“The programs we have in development today and will be fielding between now and 2020 are adequately funded,” he told subcommittee members.

At the meeting, he noted Congress has provided funds for the development of a new kill vehicle, a ground-based midcourse defense and a long-range discrimination radar over the past three fiscal years, Pellerin reports.

He added the agency plans to add capabilities to its Aegis ballistic missile defense system, field more Standard Missile-3 Block 1B guided missiles and explore directed-energy technologies.

Government Technology/News
Ashley Mahan: FedRAMP Adopts ‘Open-Door Policy’ to Help Address Agency Cloud IT Needs
by Mary-Louise Hoffman
Published on April 15, 2016
Ashley Mahan: FedRAMP Adopts ‘Open-Door Policy’ to Help Address Agency Cloud IT Needs


cloudITAshley Mahan, agency evangelist for the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, told Federal Times in an interview published Wednesday she will reach out to agencies that need assistance to use FedRAMP-compliant cloud products and services.

“We have a very open-door policy,” Mahan said to Federal Times reporter Aaron Boyd.

She added the FedRAMP team considers federal agencies, cloud service providers and third-party assessment organizations as partners in efforts to accelerate government cloud implementations.

FedRAMP created the evangelist role after the organization found during an outreach initiative last summer that many agencies and cloud vendors were seeking a person to act as a touchpoint between them and the FedRAMP office, according to Mahan.

“[Agencies] have a lot of questions, and great questions, and I want to be able to provide an answer to their questions so they can make their business decisions,” she told Boyd.

News
US Army to Assess Israeli-Built IED Sensor Suite
by Jay Clemens
Published on April 15, 2016
US Army to Assess Israeli-Built IED Sensor Suite


Army Expeditionary Warrior ExperimentThe U.S. Army will test an Israeli-made sensor suite intended to help identify mines and improvised explosive devices in Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, Military & Aerospace Electronics reported Thursday.

John Keller writes the Army Contracting Command will assess the counter IED and mine suite above-surface detection system from Israel Aerospace Industries’ Elta Systems group.

The Elta sensor system is designed to help protect tactical maneuvering military vehicles and incorporates two subsystems such as the above-surface detection system and underground mine and IED detection system, according to the report.

The mine and IED detection system features a radar and a magnetic detector, Keller reports.

DoD/News
Reuters: MDA Carries Out Continues Network Monitoring Exercise Against Cyber Threats
by Scott Nicholas
Published on April 15, 2016
Reuters: MDA Carries Out Continues Network Monitoring Exercise Against Cyber Threats


cyber-hack-network-computerThe U.S. Missile Defense Agency has conducted several monitoring efforts on its classified and unclassified networks in an effort to address potential cyber threats against MDA’s weapons programs, Reuters reported Thursday.

Navy Vice Adm. and MDA Director James Syring told House lawmakers Thursday the agency seeks to defend its network and is working with private contractors to establish cyber security requirements for future contracts, according to the report by Andrea Shalal.

Syring said constant cyber attacks on the agency’s networks pose a threat equivalent to the development of mass destruction weapons in Iran and North Korea and has prompted the agency to invest in research and development projects for new technology to prepare against foreign ballistic missile threats.

Government Technology/News
DISA’s Kim Rice: Interoperability Key for DoD’s Mobile Classified Service
by Jane Edwards
Published on April 15, 2016
DISA’s Kim Rice: Interoperability Key for DoD’s Mobile Classified Service


mobile securityKim Rice, portfolio manager for the Defense Department mobility program office in the Defense Information Systems Agency, has said DISA should consider interoperability when it comes to the deployment of mobile devices that use the DOD Mobile Classified Capability-Secret service.

Rice made the remarks at the Advanced Technology Academic Research Center Federal Mobile Computing Summit held April 6 in Washington D.C., DISA said Thursday.

DMCC-S is a mobile enterprise service designed to provide users classified access to the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network.

“Making sure products and devices are interoperable is critical in today’s world of global engagement, and having that capability already built in is key,” she said.

Rice also noted that in consideration of interoperability requirements, DISA needs to identify management systems and business models when seeking support from coalition partners.

DoD/News
DOJ: Engineer, Chinese Energy Firm Charged with Nuclear Tech Conspiracy
by Mary-Louise Hoffman
Published on April 15, 2016
DOJ: Engineer, Chinese Energy Firm Charged with Nuclear Tech Conspiracy


Nuclear powerplantA U.S. nuclear engineer and a Chinese state-owned nuclear power company have been indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to facilitate nuclear material development and production efforts outside the U.S. without a permit from the Energy Department.

The Justice Department said Thursday the two-count indictment unveiled Thursday at a district court in Tennessee is for China General Nuclear Power Co. and Allen Ho, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in China and employed as a senior adviser at CGNPC.

Allen Ho, also known as Szuhsiung Ho, also runs Delaware-based Energy Technology International.

CGNPC, Ho and his company are accused of conspiring with others to help the Chinese company make a special nuclear material without a DOE authorization required as part of a U.S.-China civil nuclear cooperation pact.

“The federal government has regulations in place to oversee civil nuclear cooperation, and if those authorities are circumvented, this can result in significant damage to our national security,” said Michael Steinbach, executive assistant director of the FBI’s national security branch.

In addition, the parties allegedly sought technical assistance from U.S.-based nuclear experts regarding small modular reactor and advanced fuel assembly programs as well as fixed in-core detector and reactor-related computer systems, DOJ noted.

Ho could face a life sentence in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 if found guilty.

The indictment comes less than a month after Chinese businessman Su Bin entered a guilty plea in a district court in California to charges that he was involved in a conspiracy to breach computer systems at Boeing and several other U.S. defense contractors to access military technical data and transmit it to China.

Government Technology/News
SecurityScorecard: Gov’t Agencies Lag Behind 17 Industries in Cyber Posture
by Mary-Louise Hoffman
Published on April 15, 2016
SecurityScorecard: Gov’t Agencies Lag Behind 17 Industries in Cyber Posture


cybersecurityA SecurityScorecard report indicates that the U.S. government lags behind 17 private industries such as the healthcare, transportation and retail sectors when it comes to cyber hygiene and reaction time to data breaches.

The company said Thursday it analyzed 35 breach incidents that occurred across 600 federal, state and local agencies from April 2015 to April 2016 as part of its security risk benchmarking study.

Agencies that received low security scores in the study have faced challenges related to network security, malware infections and software patching cadence, the report states.

“The data we uncovered clearly indicates that while some are improving their security postures, too many are leaving themselves dangerously exposed to risks and vulnerabilities, especially at the larger federal level,” noted Luis Vargas, data scientist at SecurityScorecard.

According to the company, NASA performed the worst among all agencies examined during the study.

Other low-performing organizations mentioned in the report include the State Department as well as the information technology departments of the states of Connecticut, Washington and Pennsylvania also 

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